Not in the Kitchen
by gibbonsarenotmonkeys
Summary: Ruby slaps the stubble right off Killian's face. Sort-of AU: Post-season 3, but still in Storybrooke. Captain Wolf with trace amounts of Flook.


"Would you stop? I told you, you don't owe me an explanation." Ruby's voice was quiet, perfunctory, all trace of her usual flair vacant from her voice as she busied herself with clearing the last of the dishes from the table. "And what's more, I don't want to hear it." She added, brushing past him coolly.

"But if you would just listen-" He turned to follow her, stopping in the doorway to the kitchen and giving her a helpless look.

"Why?" Ruby interrupted him, slamming down the plastic bin of dishes into the sink so hard he heard something shatter, but his eyes were on hers as she looked up at him abruptly. "I told you already, it's fine! I knew what this was when we started, it's not like you ever gave me reason to think it was going to be anything more." Her voice was rising in volume as she stared at him, and something about the fire coming slowly back into her eyes had his own heart beating faster. He folded his arms over his chest, lifting an eyebrow at her while he waited for her to finish. "You wanted something to distract you from Emma, and I wanted something to distract me from… well, to distract me. We both got what we wanted, but now you've got your shot with her and we're done. No need to draw it out, I've got no interest in coming between you two, in fact, I wish you hundreds of fat children!" She was almost yelling now, and it took an effort on Killian's part not to smirk… although, he couldn't resist the way his eyes were drawn to her chest, heaving with the effort of her breathing.

When he was quite sure she was finished, his eyes flickered back up to her face, and he stepped into the kitchen properly, eyes smouldering. "If you're quite finished…" He let that hang in the air for a moment, as though waiting for her to interrupt him, but the way she crossed her arms, he assumed she was done, and he continued. "I wanted to tell you that what you saw at the Jolly Roger the other night… it wasn't what it seemed."

"It's real hard to misconstrue your tongue down Emma's throat, Killian." She ducked away from him as his hand reached for her face. "But like I said, I don't care. I'm just not going to be your bit on the side if you're with Emma now. She doesn't deserve that." There was defiance in her words, a straightness to her back as she turned away and started the water in the sink.

"I can understand why you would think that, but… she kissed me! I wasn't expecting it-"

"But it's what you've wanted since you came to town. Isn't that why you came to the light side of the Force? Why you gave up your revenge? Because you fell in love with Emma. And now she'll have you, so you should just stop messing around here with me and… and sail off into the sunset, or whatever it is pirates do with the loves of their life." She was throwing dishes into the sink now, hapless of the way they crashed together, the clanging of metal on porcelain causing bubbles to fly up into the air, landing gently in her thick, dark curls. He sighed, stepping closer, he reached out for her again, snagging her curls with his hook and pulling them back from her face.

"As I'm sure you've heard from Lady Snow already… Baelfire's not coming back. Not for Emma, at least. They're finished, for good this time." Ruby didn't move to get away from him, but she didn't look up from the pan she was scrubbing more aggressively than was probably necessary. "And last night… she'd had a bit much to drink, and found her way down to the docks. Looking for a… what did David call it? A rebound, I believe." He tilted his head, as he registered that her scrubbing was hardly covering up the way her hands were shaking. "But… when she kissed me, I realized something." Ruby turned her head towards him, her bright eyes shining with tears that she refused to let fall, defiant to the last. "I'm not in love with Emma."

He pulled her to him, wrapping his arm around her tightly, he crushed his lips against her in a possessive, unyielding kiss, softening only when he felt her return his pressure, and letting up only when his lungs ached for air. Releasing her, he smiled triumphantly, drawing in a deep breath. With his eyes still closed, he didn't even see it coming until he felt the slight whoosh of air against his cheek that preceded the sharp, wet sound of flesh against flesh, his entire head whipping to the side with the force of her slap. He staggered under the force of the blow, his vision spotty as his head whirled, the sting in his cheek starting as a slow burn that spread through his jaw into a steady ache. For a moment he wondered if she had broken his jaw, catching himself on the kitchen counter, he groaned with pain as he reached his good hand up to his face, feeling for any permanent damage. Stretching his jaw from side to side as he straightened up, he decided that she hadn't broken anything, but damn, the woman could hit! He felt like she'd slapped the stubble right off him.

"Bloody hell, woman!" He growled, his pain fueling rage in him, his eyes bright with fury as they sought her out, matching that in her own eyes.

"Don't you fucking tell me you don't love her!" She was yelling now, her chocolate curls bouncing around her face with the force of her words. "Not when everything you've done for the last year has been for her. You got over Milah for her, you moved past your need for revenge for her, hell, you even bought a new wardrobe to impress her! You didn't do all that for a woman you didn't love." Her voice cracked as she screamed at him, and her resolve broke, tears streaming down her cheek, and he felt his anger ebb some.

"You're right, I didn't." He growled in return, taking an imposing step towards her. "But Emma only made me realize that I could love again." He glowered at her, rubbing his jaw. "For a long time, I thought it was because I loved her, but…" Ruby backed up as he drew nearer, looking up at him from under a heavy brow, returning his glare. "…I think I was just so desperate to feel that again, I pushed it onto her." Ruby's back was against the wall now, and Killian stopped just in front of her, close enough that he could feel the heat from her body, and he reached his hand up, twirling a dark curl between his fingers. "But it was these last few months with you… between _fucking_ you," he growled the word at her, her favorite description for what they did between the sheets, "and getting to know you," his voice softened, and he leaned his face down close to her, "that I was able to let go of Milah. Of the need to avenge her…" his nose bumped hers gently, and he could feel her breath on his lips. "And, if I recall correctly, it was you who teased me so persistently about my choice of attire that I had no choice but to buy something that consisted of something other than leather." His voice lightened slightly, and the corner of his lip turned up ever so slightly as he gazed into her eyes, those beautiful, angry, wild eyes, breath bated as he waited for her to say or do anything. She sniffed slightly, and he pulled her curl tight around his finger, not wanting to let her go.

She blinked, her eyes still wet, and then cautiously, she tilted her chin up the few scant inches it took to press their lips together, and it was like a dam breaking. She locked her arms around his neck, and he staggered back as she jumped up on him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He caught her legs and twirled her around, setting her down on the kitchen counter, he tangled his hand in her hair and kissed her hungrily. She seized the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer, and with his hook he tugged on the neck of her shirt, snapping the buttons off her top, her body squirming deliciously as the cool steel tip trailed down her skin, pausing near her naval.

"Not. In. The kitchen." Killian nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard the gravelly voice of Ruby's grandmother from the doorway, letting go of Ruby as though he had been burned, he reached out to catch himself on the opposite counter but instead found his hook plunging into a sink full of soapy water, he slipped on the wet floor and found himself spread-eagle on the kitchen floor, groaning in pain. Granny shook her head with disapproval, her eyes narrowed as they flicked between the two of them, Ruby pulling her shirt closed hastily. "Honestly, you two, we make food in here." She growled, showing no sympathy to the pirate as Ruby hopped down off the counter, crouching down to help him up.

"Bloody hell…" he muttered, leaning on Ruby as she helped him get to his feet, tonight was not a good night to be Killian Jones… then again, he smirked, his hand sliding down Ruby's back slowly, maybe it could be... Ruby smiled at Granny less than apologetically, edging her way past her grandmother in the doorway and tugging Killian through with her. "You're going to be the death of me, woman." He murmured into her ear as she led the way upstairs.

"Aw, my poor pirate…" She answered teasingly, turning to face him once they reached the top of the stairs and walking backwards to her room, pulling his arms around her waist. He smirked at her, and smacked her on the ass.

"Don't worry, love… I'm sure you can think of some way to make it up to me." He grinned, reaching past her to open her bedroom door behind her, picking her up as they entered, and kicking the door shut behind them.


End file.
